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‘The Dead are Watching Us’: A Landscape Study of Prehistoric Rock-cut Tomb Cemeteries in Ossi, Sardinia, Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2021

Guillaume Robin ,
Florian Soula ,
Pascal Tramoni ,
Laura Manca  and
Kirsty Lilley
Guillaume Robin
Affiliation:
School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, William Robertson Wing, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK. Email: guillaume.robin@ed.ac.uk; s1310314@sms.ed.ac.uk
Florian Soula
Affiliation:
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, Aix-en-Provence, France. Email: flo1.soula@gmail.com
Pascal Tramoni
Affiliation:
INRAP, Centre de recherches archéologiques, lieu-dit Petraòlu – 20215 Vescovato, and UMR 7269 LAMPEA (Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture), Aix-en-Provence, France. Email: pascal.tramoni@inrap.fr
Laura Manca
Affiliation:
UMR 7209 – Archéozoologie, archéobotanique: sociétés, pratiques et environnements, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, et CNRS, 55 rue Buffon (CP 57), F-75005 Paris, France. Email: laura.manca@mnhn.fr
Kirsty Lilley
Affiliation:
School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, William Robertson Wing, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK. Email: guillaume.robin@ed.ac.uk; s1310314@sms.ed.ac.uk
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Abstract

The island of Sardinia is well known for its Late Neolithic and Copper Age underground rock-cut tombs that were used over generations for collective burials. Many tombs were decorated to resemble house interiors and cemeteries are often referred to as villages of the dead. Research so far has focused on excavating stratigraphic contexts within some of these monuments, or on typological classifications of tomb plans and wall decorations, but the landscape context of the cemeteries and their relationship to settlements have been overlooked. The article presents the results of two seasons of survey in Ossi (north-west Sardinia), focusing on two major cemeteries (Mesu ‘e Montes and S’Adde ‘e Asile). Combining fieldwalking, mapping and 3D recording techniques, the survey provides a comprehensive documentation of the cemeteries (from the underground architecture of individual tombs to their landscape setting) and yields evidence of prehistoric settlements in their vicinity. The article discusses the topographic and visual relationships between the tombs and the residential areas and how they may reflect social interactions between the living and the dead in late prehistoric Sardinia.

Résumé

RÉSUMÉ

‘Les morts nous regardent’: Etude du paysage des cimetières nécropoles à tombes hypogées préhistoriques à Ossi, Sardaigne, Italie, de Guillaume Robin, Florian Soula, Pascal Tramoni, Laura Manca, et Kirsty Lilley

L’île de la Sardaigne est renomée pour ses tombes souterraines taillées dans le rocher du Néolithique final et de l’âge du cuivre qui furent utilisées pendant des générations pour des inhumations collectives. Nombre de ces tombes étaient décorées de manière à ressembler à des intérieurs de maisons et les nécropoles sont souvent présentées comme aux villages des morts. Les recherches se sont, jusqu’à présent concentrées sur la fouille des contextes stratigraphiques à l’intérieur de certains de ces monuments ou sur la classification typologique des plans de tombes et des décorations murales mais le contexte du paysage de ces cimetières et leurs relations avec les habitats ont été négligés. Les résultats de deux campagnes de prospections à Ossi, nord ouest de la Sardaigne, se concentrant sur deux importantes nécropoles (Mesu ‘e Montes et S’Adde ‘e Asile). Associant prospections pédestres, géolocalisation, et techniques de relevés 3D, l’etude de terrain fournit une documentation détaillée des nécropoles qui va de l’architecture souterraine de tombes individuelles à leur situation dans le paysage et a relevé des témoinages d’occupations préhistoriques à proximité. Cet article discute les relations topographiques et visuelles entre les tombes et les zones habitées et comment elles pouvaient refléter les interactions entre les vivants et les morts à la fin de la Prehistoire en Sardaigne.

Zusammenfassung

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

‘Die Toten beobachten uns’: Eine Landschaftsstudie der vorgeschichtlichen Felsengrabfriedhöfe in Ossi, Sardinia, Italy, von Guillaume Robin, Florian Soula, Pascal Tramoni, Laura Manca, und Kirsty Lilley

Die Insel Sardinien ist bekannt für ihre unterirdischen Felsengräber des Spätneolithikums und der Kupferzeit, die über Generationen für Kollektivbestattungen genutzt wurden. Viele Gräber waren derart dekoriert, dass sie dem Inneren von Häusern glichen, und die Friedhöfe werden oft als Dörfer der Toten angesprochen. Die bisherige Forschung konzentrierte sich auf die Ausgrabung von stratigraphischen Kontexten innerhalb einiger dieser Monumente oder auf typologische Klassifizierungen von Grabplänen und Wanddekorationen, aber der landschaftliche Kontext der Friedhöfe und ihre Beziehung zu Siedlungen wurden übersehen. Der Artikel stellt die Ergebnisse von zwei Surveykampagnen in Ossi (Nordwestsardinien) vor, die sich auf zwei große Friedhöfe (Mesu ‘e Montes und S’Adde ‘e Asile) konzentrieren. Durch die Kombination von Feldbegehung, Kartierung und 3D-Aufnahmeverfahren liefern die Surveys eine umfassende Dokumentation der Friedhöfe (von der unterirdischen Architektur einzelner Gräber bis zu ihrem landschaftlichen Umfeld) und ergeben Hinweise auf prähistorische Siedlungen in ihrer Umgebung. Der Artikel diskutiert die topographischen und visuellen Beziehungen zwischen den Gräbern und den Wohngebieten und wie sie möglicherweise die sozialen Interaktionen zwischen den Lebenden und den Toten in Sardinien während der jüngeren Vorgeschichte widerspiegeln.

Resumen

RESUMEN

“Los muertos nos están mirando”: un estudio de paisaje de los cementerios prehistóricos con tumbas excavadas en la roca en Ossi, Cerdeña, Italia, por Guillaume Robin, Florian Soula, Pascal Tramoni, Laura Manca, y Kirsty Lilley

La isla de Cerdeña es muy conocida por las tumbas excavadas en la roca adscritas al Neolítico final y la Edad del Bronce que fueron utilizadas durante generaciones como enterramientos colectivos. Muchas de estas tumbas fueron decoradas para parecerse a los interiores de las casas y los cementerios a menudo se conocen como las villas de los muertos. Hasta ahora la investigación se ha centrado en la excavación de contextos estratigráficos dentro de estos monumentos, así como en la clasificación tipológica de las plantas de las tumbas y de las decoraciones de las paredes, sin embargo, el contexto paisajístico de los cementerios y su relación on los asentamientos ha sido ignorado. El artículo presenta los resultados de las campañas de prospección en Ossi (noroeste de Cerdeña), centradas en dos cementerios de gran tamaño (Mesu ‘e Montes and S’Adde ‘e Asile). Los trabajos de prospección, combinando prospección superficial, mapeado y técnicas de registro 3D, aportan una documentación completa de los cementerios (desde la arquitectura subterránea de las tumbas individuales a su entorno paisajístico) y evidencias de los asentamientos prehistóricos de su entorno. El artículo discute las relaciones topográficas y visuales entre las tumbas y las áreas residenciales y cómo podrían estar reflejando interacciones sociales entre la vida y la muerte de la Prehistoria reciente de Cerdeña.

Keywords

Rock-cut tombshypogeaNeolithicBronze AgeSardinialandscape archaeologycemeterysettlementdeath
Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 87 , December 2021 , pp. 1 - 30
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Prehistoric Society

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